NITV goes free-to-air everywhere

2 November 2012

Australia’s national indigenous broadcaster NITV gets a new lease on life when it begins broadcasting via SBS in December.

NITV has been in operation since 2007 with coverage limited to remote free-to-air sites and pay TV in other areas, and its future has never really been assured until this year’s federal budget which allowed for NITV’s operations and transmission to be incorporated into multicultural broadcaster SBS.

SBS managing director Michael Ebeid said the launch of NITV on SBS is a significant milestone in Australian broadcasting:

“SBS is incredibly proud to be playing a role in delivering content about Indigenous Australians, produced by Indigenous Australians, to every Australian household. With NITV part of the SBS family, we will reflect Australia’s diversity in a way no other broadcaster has before.”

NITV will be broadcast nationwide on SBS’ digital channel 34 from 12.00pm (AEDT) on 12 December — yes, that’s 12.00pm on 12/12/12 — starting with a two-hour special From The Heart Of Our Nation live from Uluru, hosted by former SBS newsreader Stan Grant and Rhoda Roberts.

A one-hour edition of long-running SBS program Living Black will follow at 2.00pm (AEDT) hosted by Karla Grant in Sydney. NITV then switches back to Uluru for a special edition of NITV News with Natalie Ahmat.

From 8.00pm (AEDT) the evening will be highlighted by a two-hour concert event from Uluru featuring Indigenous artists including Jessica Mauboy, Christine Anu, Casey Donovan and Troy Cassar Daley and hosted by Ernie Dingo.

The announcement of the launch date of NITV via SBS was made at a meeting of world indigenous broadcasters in Sydney. NITV is a member of the World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network (WITBN), a group of 13 indigenous broadcasters including APTN Canada, OIWI Hawaii, NRK Saami in Norway, Māori Television New Zealand, S4C Wales and Taiwan Indigenous TV.